Float Testing, Checking Egg Viability For Late Or Overdue Hatching

[Fat Daddy]

This test is tried and true... It has been used long before the Internet or you and I were around to question why.... It works because of the air cell in the egg. If there was not a air cell large enough to float the egg. There was not enough air cell to support a chick hatching, the point of the air cell in the first place. Is it possible that your humidity was high and prevented evaporation from the egg, thus forming too little air cell? This is about the only explanation I can see that would explain egg sinking and a live chick... But I'm here to tell ya float testing works!

 

[jak2002003]

This test is tried and true... It has been used long before the Internet or you and I were around to question why.... It works because of the air cell in the egg. If there was not a air cell large enough to float the egg. There was not enough air cell to support a chick hatching, the point of the air cell in the first place. Is it possible that your humidity was high and prevented evaporation from the egg, thus forming too little air cell? This is about the only explanation I can see that would explain egg sinking and a live chick... But I'm here to tell ya float testing works!

Well it does not always work as I found out for myself. I still am so upset about it and feel guilty that I killed this (these) chicks.

Reading through these posts I also see this happened to someone else, so its not just me.

So it might work 90 percent of the time, but I will give a WARNING to people using this test that it is not 100 percent safe - so just be aware.

 

[miss silky]

Can you do the water test on eggs still incubating? Or are theyto young?

 

[SeptemberQuail]

@Miss Silky
Yes you can.
I've done it before (because I thought it was a substitute for candling; I preferred not to candle.), but the information was incorrect if you do it too early. The eggs that I thought were duds, actually hatched into perfectly normal chicks. So that taught me not to do water testing too early.

 

[namastemama]

Bmp

 

[tisonlygeorge]

Hi, not sure how make a new post so im just replying to yours instead,

Basically, i have just one egg... Bought it online because well it was an impulse buy of 80p... Ive had it since the 15th of december... But it Must have hatches before that because Postage etc... 1.do i class that as part of the incubation period? 2.i Tried the float test today and it just sort of stands up, big end up... Is it too early to tell? Also i Tried candling but... Well it just looks different dependant on where ihold the light... Can definately see an air pocket though....

Any ideas? Lol ima be an awful mother.

 

[TweetyNPetey]

Great Info! Thanks!

I agree, thanks!

 

[City Chicken]

when is too early to float test? we think we have lost the batch due to power outage and would like to check somehow.

 

[jnjmanning]

I am too scared to float mine. Day 21 was Saturday so this is day 23.My incubator went haywire on day 19 and the temp dropped down to 90-92 for 2 days. It took forever to get the temp back up. I did candle my one white egg last night and saw a pulsing vein, like a heart beat. So I quickly put it back in the incubator and have been watching the temp like a hawk! At least I know I have one still alive and have hope for the other 5. They are brown and green eggs, so candling is very hard!

 

[laseterlass]

I floated right before lock down. I had candled and popped the obvious nondeveloped ones a few days earlier. I used the mug of water already in the bator. Worked great. I had a few little kickers they are cute. A few sunk but I had read so many conflicting things that I was not sure what to do. So they are still in there. I had one egg explode. YUCK. That actually what started the floating. I had to wash the yuck off.